Iglesia de la Anunciación

Iglesia de la Anunciación is a Renaissance church in Seville, standing on Calle Laraña next to the former Jesuit college that today houses the University of Seville's Faculty of Fine Arts. The building ties together three strands of local history: the Jesuit order, the founding of the university, and one of Seville's most prominent Holy Week brotherhoods.

How did the church come to be built?

Construction began in 1565 as the church of the Casa Profesa of the Society of Jesus. The first designs came from Bartolomé de Bustamante, the Jesuit provincial in charge of building the order's houses in the region. Work on the residential quarters was carried on by Juan Bautista Villalpando, while the church itself was finished under Hernán Ruiz the Younger, master builder of Seville Cathedral. The building was completed in 1579 in the Renaissance style fashionable in Seville at the time. Its architectural value led to its declaration as a National Monument in 1931, and it now holds the status of Bien de Interés Cultural, Spain's designation for assets of cultural significance.

What happened after the Jesuits were expelled?

The 1767 royal decree expelling the Society of Jesus from Spain left the monastic complex empty. That changed in 1771, when, at the initiative of Pablo de Olavide, the former Jesuit college was converted into the University of Seville. The church has remained bound to the university ever since: the solemn opening ceremony of the University of Seville's academic year is still held inside the Iglesia de la Anunciación, giving the building an academic role that few churches of its kind retain.

What is there to see inside?

The interior is spacious and serves as the canonical seat of the Hermandad del Valle, one of the brotherhoods of Seville's Holy Week. The Retablo Mayor is considered a significant piece in the development of 17th-century Andalusian art, featuring canvases of the Holy Family and the Adoration of the Shepherds. To the left of the transept, against the epistle wall, stands the retablo of the Hermandad del Valle, built between 1836 and 1842 on the site of an earlier one dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Its central niche holds the venerated image of the Virgen del Valle, an anonymous 17th-century work, accompanied by the Cristo de la Coronación de Espinas, carved by Agustín Perea in 1687. The church also contains a retablo dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and a dome crowned with a lantern, one of its notable architectural features.

Who is this church for?

The Iglesia de la Anunciación draws visitors interested in Seville's Renaissance architecture, the history of the Jesuits in Andalusia, and the traditions of Semana Santa — as the seat of the Hermandad del Valle, it is a key stop for anyone following the city's Holy Week brotherhoods. It also appeals to those tracing the origins of the University of Seville, whose academic roots lie directly in this complex.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the Iglesia de la Anunciación built? Construction started in 1565 as the church of the Jesuit Casa Profesa and was finished in 1579.

Who designed the church? Bartolomé de Bustamante drew up the initial plans; Juan Bautista Villalpando completed the residential quarters and Hernán Ruiz the Younger finished the church itself.

What is the church's connection to the University of Seville? After the Jesuits were expelled in 1767, the college building was taken over in 1771 by the University of Seville on the initiative of Pablo de Olavide. The university's academic year still opens there with a formal ceremony.

Which brotherhood is based in the church? It is the canonical seat of the Hermandad del Valle, which venerates the Virgen del Valle and the Cristo de la Coronación de Espinas.